Public Parking Publication | Manitoba

Over a span of roughly five years, after being out of the protection school, photo centered artist Ashley Gillanders has been making gradual advances in her photographic practice. Partaking in residencies and mentorship programs in Winnipeg, Bnaff, and New York, exhibiting in various artist-run centers locally, receiving artist’s grants and awards, Gillanders’ work has gone from exploring human interaction with the built environment to human interaction with the natural environment and the overlap of the two. Her work has developed onto a practice that joins conventional and experimental processes to photography. Gillanders’ new collection of work counter acts what we commonly know the lens-based medium to be—both in its form and function. Recalling her formative interest in human interaction with nature, she uses tropical plants that becomes domesticized in our homes as a jumping off mark to make three-dimensional photographic arrangements; disrupting the traditional aspect of a photograph while at the same time maintaining it in a contemporary state. We were very lucky to catch some time with Gillanders at her soon to be former office [where she’s Photo Technician & Facilities Coordinator] as she prepares to make her way to Chicago to start her graduate studies at the School of Art Institute of Chicago. We talk among other things, about her next chapter in her work, what she’s going to miss in her home city once she makes the move, and who her favorite Ashley is.

Luther Konadu: I was thinking about your work and I was just imagining where it would go next, now that you are starting your MFA.

Ashley Gillanders: I have no idea. I don’t really know to be honest, but that’s what's exciting. When I first applied, I had to write a proposal—I’ve been working three-dimensionally—and part of what I offered was to maintain and to keep building these three-dimensional objects, but then to photograph them and bring them back into two-dimensions, just a possible route to take the work.

LK: I understand the work you made for your one-person show earlier this year allowed you to experiment and expand on the work you were doing previously.

AG: That’s right. What I was doing for that show was photographing house plants—specifically the leaves—on both sides (front and back) and then printing them at a one-to-one scale; so it’s true to life. I printed them on inkjet prints and used matte paper, after trying out some glossy paper which didn’t turn out as well as what I ended up with. I cut and trimmed them down to have them appear as close as possible to the actual leaves and plants. Then I arranged them on pieces of matte board. I’m not really a sculptor, so this was more an exercise in composition. I don’t think the composition has anything to do with the content, I chose compositions I thought would be interesting to contain in these Plexiglas box tops which are typically made for containing memorabilia like baseballs or basketballs. So essentially what I ended up with were photographs, but being presented in a three-dimensional form. And I exhibited these three-dimensional objects on shelves and on plinths.

Installation View Photo By Ernest Mayer

Further On 'Methods of Preservation' [Gillander's 2016 solo exhibition ]:

AG: Up until that project I always shot with film, and I'd been trying to find my way with the digital world and a more contemporary practice, being someone who traditionally shoots straight photography with film. And so, I think I’m always concerned about preserving the traditional aspects of photography, while also incorporating those aspects into a contemporary practice, and trying to find my voice and my way somewhere in that. I’m using the digital camera in another way, in a traditional sense, maintaining its traditional function to photograph something and preserve it in a moment in time. Outside of the work all these objects I photographed have died or have totally changed, but because of photography they stay the same and live on as long as the photograph exists.

LK: How long were you planning this show?

AG: It all actually happened rather quickly. The idea itself had been on my mind for over a year, but I had never really made anything with it. There was an annual fundraiser at Platform Gallery which I had to make something for, and I made initial examples of the work as tests which all went really well. Jennifer Gibson who is the curator for Gallery 1CO3 contacted me and mentioned that she had an opening for a show and I only had two months to make the work. So I managed to make all the work within just those two months—which I would never do again—but honestly, it was a great experience.

Installation View Photo By Ernest Mayer

LK: I still feel weird calling your newer work “photography”, only because it's going against what most people know photography to be, or know a photograph to be. You're essentially saying there's more to what we already know. But for someone that started off doing traditional photography and has worked in that form for a while, have you come to terms with the work you are doing now, and are you able to call it photography without any reservations?

AG: I've come to terms with the fact that photography is evolving and is now understood in a broader sense -- I was a bit hesitant to embrace this idea and it took me a while to get to this point. I feel comfortable calling this work photography because the work is about photography and still relies on, and utilizes, the medium's traditional function.

Untitled (dining room) 2010, From Gillander's Interiors series. Image Courtesy of Artist.

Untitled (pink curtains) 2010, From Gillander's Interiors series. Image Courtesy of Artist.

Untitled (tree) 2010, From Gillander's Interiors series. Image Courtesy of Artist.

LK: The way that you put together the photographs by cutting/trimming them down, arranging them, all seems to mimic the way we take care of our domestic plants and even our interior spaces, I think. Even though I see Method of Preservations as being a work dealing with conceptions of what a photograph is and what it can be, I can’t help but also see it as being a bit of a continuation of how spaces are put together and can they be perceived.

AG: That's an accurate observation. The work is definitely about manipulation and control -- a theme present in a lot of my work. Perhaps (subconsciously) it's a continuation of my previous series "Curated Landscapes", in which I was photographing wealthy suburbs in New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. With that series, I was fascinated by the way wealth was transforming residential landscapes and the way it was being manipulated and re-formed. I'm doing the same thing with the plants in "Methods of Preservation", except that I'm the one in control and I'm no longer just an observer.

LK: I think it's interesting how you also play with what is "real" versus what isn’t by getting the plants to be as precise as the actual ones. I think it’s a testament to how photography can be used to manipulate and shape the way we see things.

AG: Yes, it's one of the many reasons I love photography! The photographer has control and you can never fully trust the image.

On former instructor/mentor/artist,Lisa Stinner:

AG: Lisa has been so supportive of what I do. She’s been there whenever I have questions or when I need something. If I had to pick one mentor, it would easily be Lisa. I look at her career and see what she has accomplished; I just look up to her. I love her work and she’s an all-around wonderful person.

LK: Can you remember when you shifted from just taking images like any other person with a camera to taking images in a considered and critical way like you are practicing now?

AG: I think back in undergrad I remember being exposed to people like Tina Barney, and there’s something

about her interior shots and the people in them that seemed so interesting to me. Katy Grannan and Canadian photographer Lynne Cohen are two people whose work I found myself drawn to, particularly their focus on interior spaces. Before I went into art school, I thought I was going to study architecture, so I believe I’ve always had a preoccupation with built spaces. I was also learning a lot about photography and lighting tools. I remember house-sitting for my grandparents once and trying out all this lighting equipment, seeing how the light was able to alter and manipulate the space, and really liking that control—I liked how I was able to control and present spaces in the way I saw them.

Photo Contribution by Laina Brown

LK: Is working with analog something you would return to at some point?

AG: Yes, I definitely see myself doing that. Working with digital for some time, I began to feel unsatisfied with just capturing images, getting them processed, working on them on Photoshop for a bit and then being done with it. I really missed being physically involved with the process of making the work, so I think it is something I’ll always return to.

Photo Contribution by Laina Brown

LK: Having stayed in Winnipeg after years of being out of art school and working independently, what do you think working in this city has given you as an artist?

AG: Winnipeg makes it so easy to be an artist. It is a great (and affordable) place for an artist to live and home to so many creative individuals! As soon as I graduated I was presented with an incredible number of resources and support -- I didn't even have to look very hard for them. One place that I'm especially fond of, which has always been so supportive and taught me so much about being an artist, is PLATFORM Centre for Photographic + Digital Arts. They offered me a summer internship when I graduated from university, introduced me to a number of local and international artists, and invited me to sit on their Board of Directors for three years. I feel very fortunate to have developed a relationship with them.

LK: What are you going to miss about the Peg?

AG: Art related: The annual 8x10 fundraiser at PLATFORM. Food related: Pumpkin Ice Cream from Sargent Sundae.

LK: What's something you are looking forward to heading to Chicago?

AG: One thing only? [Laughs] There are just so many things I can think of. I think the main thing is looking forward to being a student again and having two years to dedicate just to my practice. It is something that I haven’t had as much time to do since my undergrad. Once you graduate other things get in the way and your work slips behind, so it will be nice to only focus on my work. I feel so spoiled to even have that privilege.

Photo Contribution by Laina Brown

LK: Did you think you’d continue your formal education after you did your BFA?

AG: Always, it was never a question. I just wanted to gain professional experience and wait for the right time and right project before I applied.

LK: What got you interested in pursuing further formal studies after all this time outside of it?

AG: It's hard to pin-point. David McMillan and Lisa Stinner introduced me to the idea of graduate school during my BFA and I have always loved school -- it just seemed like the next step. As I mentioned before, I also love the idea of being able to dedicate two years to my practice. To me that's an invaluable experience and privilege. In addition, my job at the U of M as Photo Technician has reminded me that I love to teach others about art and photography, and obtaining an MFA is simply the next step to making that happen.

LK: What would you say is something that surprises you about yourself?

AG: I used to hate olives. Now I want to eat all of the olives.

Photo Contribution by Laina Brown

LK: What is a plant most people might not know about but you think people should check out?

AG: Surprisingly, I know very little about plants! Even after photographing them for so long. Although I just read a funny article about the corpse flower....apparently it smells really really really bad and only blooms every eight to ten years. That sounds pretty interesting.

LK: If someone is picking up a camera today in a serious and considered way, what would you tell them?

AG: 1. You don't need all of the fancy and expensive equipment to make interesting work! 2. Take a LOT of photos. 3. Look at a LOT of photos (figure out who and what interests you).

LK: Who is a new-ish creative person you've recently discovered that you are excited about?

AG: I'm a little late in this discovery, but I just finished reading two books by Chris Kraus ("I Love Dick" and "Aliens & Anorexia") and am so in love with her writing! As for an emerging artist that I just discovered, I'm really interested in the work of Jessica Labatte.

LK: Who's your favorite Ashley?

AG: Obviously, Ashley Banks from the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Remember the episode when she got her record deal?

[Laughs]

LK: Yes! Totally. That whole episode was a good one! Awesome choice.

LK: Who would you say is the most creative person in your family apart from yourself?

AG: I think my grandfather was the most creative person in my family and I'm pretty sure that I inherited my artistic sensibilities and attention to detail from him. He could draw really well but his strength and passion was woodworking. I have very fond memories of visiting him in his shop and watching him work. He also gave the best hugs.

Photo Contribution by Laina Brown

Find more of Gillander's work here